This invention relates generally to the stabilization of watercraft, such as kayaks and canoes, and especially to the stabilization of a kayak or canoe to allow an individual to stand or move therein without the kayak or canoe rocking or rolling over. More particularly, the invention relates to a pontoon assembly which is in a raised rest position for paddling but which can be rapidly extended alongside the kayak or canoe to provide stabilization.
Floats and pontoons for stabilizing watercraft which are positioned alongside of the watercraft are old and well known in the art. Devices are presently available to address stabilization through the addition of floatation devices. In more recent times these devices have been provided with clamping supports and allow floatation to be clamped to a canoe and are generally held on a fixed extended position from the side of the watercraft. These devices are used to prevent sudden overbalance movement by an occupant in the canoe which can quickly tip or capsize the canoe. Most prior art pontoon assemblies are somewhat cumbersome. Many are attachable but at the same time are large and very unwieldy and are difficult to add or remove from the water.
It is desirable not to have the pontoons extended when one is paddling a kayak or a canoe and then to rapidly extend the floatation device as needed to stabilize the canoe when the canoe is not in motion and when the occupant desires to stand, such as while fishing or to move around in the kayak. It is an object of the present invention that a floatation assembly can be rapidly and removably attached and removed to and from a kayak or canoe and which can be extended to use as a flotation device either on one or both sides of the kayak. The floatation on both sides can be raised for paddling a kayak with greater ease.
In the past, there have been a large number of outboard floatation devices especially for adding to a canoe and these include the Birkett U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,594 for a canoe conversion kit for use alone as an iceboat or for easy mounting on a canoe to convert the canoe to a sailboat. In the Nielsen U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,233, a self-adjusting boat outrigger is provided. The Morriseau U.S. Pat. No. 6,860,216 is a canoe pontoon assembly which has side runners which are attached adjacent to the canoe to prevent the canoe from tipping over. Pontoons are adjustable for height and width and deploys a ballast to stabilize a canoe. The Hall U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,355 is a stabilized watercraft having an elongated V-type hull and stabilizers mounted in outrigger fashion. Each stabilizer has an elongated floatation member that can be extended and retracted with a pantographic-type extension mechanism. The Grzybowski U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,306 is a watercraft stabilization system for a canoe which has a pair of floatation devices. The Barker, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 5,988,090 is a stabilization pontoon system for a small watercraft which has a pair of adjustable outriggers connected by a linkage system to an actuator so that each pontoon can be lowered into the water to stabilize the watercraft.
The present invention, on the other hand, is directed primarily to watercraft, such as a kayak or canoe, and to an outrigger floatation system which is in a raised or storage position while paddling the kayak or canoe and which can be rapidly extended to add stabilization to the watercraft so that the occupant can stand for fishing or doing other functions without the watercraft tipping over and capsizing. A pontoon can be extended from one or both sides, as desired.